Cindy McCain Defies Husband, Comes Out Against DADT

Arizona Sen. John McCain, whose threatened filibuster helped derail a Congressional repeal of the anti-gay law that bans open GLBTs from military service, not only faces criticism in the press for his stance; he's also at odds on the home front over the issue.

Both McCain's wife, Cindy, and his daughter, Meghan, have come out as strong supporters of efforts to repeal "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." Cindy McCain is featured in a video about GLBT youth suicide, speaking to the way in which "political and religious leaders" foster anti-gay oppression, "telling[ing] LGBT youth that they have no future." Adds McCain, "They can't serve our country openly."

Others in the video point out other avenues to legal equality and civic participation that are closed to sexual minorities, such as blood donation and federal recognition of their families. But Cindy McCain's line is especially pointed, given that her husband has not only refused to allow legislation to address the issue to move forward once--he's pressing to remove language that would set aside DADT from the Defense Authorization Bill Congress is expected to take up during the lame duck session, before a new Congress is sworn in. Unless that demand is met, McCain is prepared to carry through with his threatened filibuster.

Republicans will dominate the new House of Representatives, and the Senate will no longer have as great a Democratic majority as before the midterm elections. GLBT equality advocates fear that if the lame duck session produces no results on the issue, GLBT servicemembers will continue to be required to lie about their sexual identities in order to serve their country--even though more than three-quarters of Americans support the repeal of DADT, and recent Pentagon study shows that most members of the Armed Forces are not troubled by the prospect of their gay and lesbian colleagues coming out of the closet and serving openly.

The video, which is a production of the NoH8 campaign--a group that formed in response to Proposition 8, a ballot initiative at the heart of the successful 2008 campaign to rescind then-existing marriage rights for gay and lesbian families in California--features a number of notables, among them Dave Navarro, Gene Simmons, and Jeff Probst. The celebrities primarily talk about the problem of anti-gay bullying in schools and a disproportionate number of suicides by GLBT teenagers. "Our government treats the LGBT community like second-class citizens," Cindy McCain says in the video. "Why shouldn't [bullies]?" Cindy McCain had previously appeared in an earlier campaign by the group, posing for a portrait that showed her with duct tape over her mouth and the group's "NOH8" logo drawn on her face.

Prior to Cindy McCain's involvement with the group, daughter Meghan McCain had been slated to speak to a Republican group at George Washington University. Meghan McCain was to have spoken at an event titled, "Redefining Republican: No Labels, No Boxes, No Stereotypes." But, in a move that could be seen as all too true to form, the college group canceled her appearance upon learning that Meghan McCain has also agreed to speak before Allied in Pride, a gay college group.

The new NOH8 video went online Nov. 10 and instantly became something of a phenomenon, reported the New York Observer on Nov. 12. The Observer also called Cindy McCain's appearance in the video a "standoff" in the culture wars between herself and her politician husband.

Earlier this year, following the announcement of the year-long review of the policy by Gates and Mullen, John McCain--who had previously indicated that he would follow the lead of military brass on the subject--abruptly did a 180-degree turn, noted NPR in a Feb. 2 article. The NPR article referred to a Feb. 3 Washington Post item on McCain's about-face. The Post said that McCain had seemed to "shift" suddenly on the issue, and referenced a 2006 statement McCain had made in which he said, "The day that the leadership of the military comes to me and says, 'Senator, we ought to change the policy,' then I think we ought to consider seriously changing it."

Those words were seemingly forgotten when Gates and Mullen told Congress that the time had come to set aside the ban, noted the Post. Rather than embracing the words of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, McCain proclaimed himself "disappointed," and said, "At this moment of immense hardship for our armed services, we should not be seeking to overturn the 'don't ask, don't tell' policy," which McCain said was "imperfect but effective."

The Washington Post noted that McCain had become a critic of President Obama since his loss in the 2008 presidential race.

The yearlong review is seen as an unnecessary delay by proponents of repeal, who point to the success enjoyed by America's allies, all of whom have integrated their militaries without suffering the loss of morale, good order, military readiness, or cohesion that the ban's proponents insist would result if gay troops were free to declare the truth about themselves without being discharged for doing so.

The New York Times published a Nov. 10 opinion piece that criticized McCain for obstructing repeal of the 17-year-old law. "The policy, which bars gay men and lesbians from serving openly, has already driven out far too many talented and expensively trained service members," the op-ed stated. "Mr. McCain, who previously expressed support for repeal providing that it had the military leadership's approval, should listen. His clout could be decisive. Failure to enact repeal would be a personal rebuff to troops now serving in two wars. It would also fly in the face of the public's overwhelming support of repeal."

Added the op-ed, "Justice demands a vote. Senator McCain has a chance to do right by the military and country he championed as a war hero. He should find a reasonable way to forgo a filibuster and end this grave injustice."

The Human Rights Campaign announced in a Nov. 12 press release that the organization had planned an advertising push aimed at "key senators" to promote passage of the Defense Authorization Bill in its current form. The GLBT advocacy group said that it would "place full-page ads in the Cleveland Plain Dealer (Ohio), the Boston Herald (Massachusetts), the Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia), and the Indianapolis Star (Indiana) on Monday calling on key senators to put the security of our nation and our troops first."

Added the release, "In addition, on Monday, HRC will launch a nation-wide action alert to its 1.3 million-strong email list in all 50 states asking recipients to place calls to their senators. HRC is also using its Facebook page and Twitter followers to get the word out about the importance of calling senators." Noted the HRC release, "Early reports of the Pentagon's December 1st study indicate that the integration of gays and lesbians into the military will be a non-event."

"A few senators who are holding on to the outdated notion that gay and lesbian patriots willing to die for their country should not be able to serve are determined to block a bill that gives pay raises to our troops and protects them while at war," Joe Solmonese, the president of the HRC, stated. "Our troops deserve better. We believe senators in these key states will do the right thing by allowing the NDAA to come up for a vote."

Added Solmonese, "The vast majority of Americans and a majority of senators know that what's important on the battlefield is whether you can do the job, not your sexual orientation. We stand firmly behind our brave men and women in uniform and call on the Senate to give them the tools and the protection they need while fighting in war. They deserve nothing less."

The ads, which will run on Nov. 15, list the provisions of the Defense Authorization Bill, which include raises in pay for soldiers, care for wounded servicemembers, better armor for troops on the ground in Afghanistan, and construction of new military bases and housing for military families.